Okada is a luxurious Japanese restaurant in Steve Wynn's luxurious
hotel. It's named after Wynn's business partner. I fell in
love with it the first time I ate there, and have returned well over a
dozen times. It has the best sushi bar in town, and the other
food I've
tried has also been good.

The Menu
In addition to sushi, Okada offers robatayaki (charcoal grilled foods),
teppanyaki, and a menu of Japanese foods with an international flair
(e.g., Japanese BBQ eel is combined with seared foie gras).
Prices are hardly low, but they're not all that high either.

AtmosphereIt's a beautiful restaurant, and a great place
to relax. During
good weather, massive doors slide open, exposing an entire side of the
restaurant to a three tiered waterfall and its lake. The
resulting
atmosphere at the tables is both dramatic and serene. The
atmosphere at the sushi bar is cheerful.

Service
is smooth. Seated at the sushi bar, I was quickly brought a menu
and a wet towel.
The server asked if I'd like to see the drink menu. I said yes,
and one appeared in seconds. The server showed me the setup of
the menu, and told me that sushi is ordered from the sushi chefs, other
items from her - exactly as it should be. When the sake flight
was delivered, each was carefully described. I talked to the
server a couple of times during the meal, and she was enthusiastic and
helpful. The wine manager would come over later, to discuss types
of sake.

Sushi chefs can either make or break a sushi bar. They're a major
asset at Okada. Make sure to talk to your chef, ask questions,
and show you're interested. I've learned a lot this way, and have
been offered some tidbits not on the menu.

Sushi
BarYou can order sushi anywhere in the
restaurant, but sushi fans will head straight to the sushi bar.
The sushi here is the best in Las Vegas - very fresh, very tasty.
More than 30 varieties of sushi are listed (also available as sashimi),
plus more than 20 varies of rolls, either cut or hand rolls. It
also doesn't hurt to ask for something if it's not on the menu.
I've eaten my way through most of the items, and have yet to be
disappointed. Here are just a few of the more memorable ones
(eaten as sushi unless otherwise stated, although almost all are also
good as sashimi):

o-toro (very fatty tuna belly). The best
is
marbled with fat, and very rich in flavor. It's
best as sashimi.
It's excellent here, and is less expensive that at its
competitors.

o-toro variations. I knew from books
that o-toro comes in different varieties, and isn't always from the
belly. At Okada, I've gotten to try different varieties.
One is streaked with fat instead of marbled. Its texture and
taste is different, but also excellent.

uni
(sea urchin). Very firm, with an almost nut like flavor. If
you're ever going to try it, try it here; uni is one of those things
that can be pretty bad unless it's
perfectly fresh and of top quality.

hamachi
(yellowtail). This is a pretty common item at sushi bars, and is
usually pretty good. At Wynn it's usually even better.
Sometimes you'll get a much richer, fattier version (the yellowtail
equivalent of o-toro) that is absolutely delicious as sashimi.

unagi
(barbecued eel). If you've never tried it, order it here!
It
actually takes a little bit of care to prepare unagi. At far too
many sushi bars, unagi is served barely warm, leaving the underside
chewy. It should be warm to hot, with the underside edges ever so
slightly crisped. Okada does it right.

awabi
(abalone). This was very chewy, but not rubbery. It's kind
of
an odd one; I'm not sure why I like it, but I do.

saba
(mackerel). Not everyone will like this one, but I like it a
lot. It's oily and has a strong flavor. Excellent as
sashimi if you relish the strong taste. If you like such
flavors, Okada offers several in this category. Ask the chef for
others.

ama
ebi (sweet shrimp). This type is served raw. This is yet
another item I wouldn't order anywhere but a top notch place, where I
am confident of the freshness. At Okada, the shrimp have an
excellent fresh flavor, with no hint of sliminess. Sadly, they do
not serve the shrimp heads as tempura.

Okada
roll. Hit the jackpot? Then order this roll. Made
with lots of lobster, avocado, and asparagus, and served with sweet
sauce and another sauce that might have been wasabi mayonnaise.
Additional lobster meat was placed on the dish, sprinkled with some
sort of strong pepper, then quickly seared with a torch.
Delicious. Expensive but worth it.

ankimo
(steamed monkfish liver). This isn't on the menu, and isn't even
sushi, but it's worth asking for. It's kind of like a pate, and
is served cold in thick circular slices, usually with a sweet vinegary
sauce.

hamachi
kama (yellowtail collar). Another non-sushi item, it's on the
robatayaki menu (the last time I was there, hamachi kama was no longer on the menu, but was available on request). It consists of several good sized chunks of fish,
grilled over charcoal. It's delicious! It's also a little hard to eat,
as you have to pick out the flesh between the bones and skin, but it's well
worth it. It takes some time to prepare, so you may want to order something else while you wait.

If
you like sake, it's fun to get the sake
flight: three classes of sake, from
basic to high quality (Tamano Hikari). My favorite was the Tamano
Hikari -
but the cheapest was my third favorite, followed by the mid-level sake.
Another option is a flight of three high quality (daiginjo) sakes;
there's a definite difference between the three.

Tasting
MenuThe tasting menu provides an excellent
introduction to some of the different kinds of food offered by
Okada. I don't know if the menu changes over time. When I
was there, I had:

Seared Langoustine and
Matsutake Mushroom and Kaboche Squash. The langoustine was like a
shrimp, but sweeter, and slightly less chewy. The mushroom pieces
were meaty but not chewy. The squash was starchy but also
slightly sweet. Rating: very good+.

Robatayaki - Lamb Chop,
Asparagus Wrapped in Bacon, Shishito Peppers. Robatayaki is a
grilling process. The asparagus in bacon was delicious. The
peppers were interesting, starting out mild but finishing with a spicy
kick. The lamb chop was to die for - juicy, crisp, with a strong
grilled flavor. Rating: very good-excellent.

Roasted Beef Sirloin and
Hudson Valley Foie Gras, with Roasted Fingerling Potato, Young Spinach,
and Aromatic Sauce (Kobe beef was available for $30 extra; I
passed). The foie gras was crisp on the outside, meltingly rich
on the inside; I loved it. The sirloin, served rare, was chewy,
but the balsamic vinegar reduction gave it very good flavor.
Rating: excellent.

Yuzu Scented Panna Cotta
with Passion Fruit Sorbet. The coconut panna cotta was
heavenly. It reminded me of the perfect haupia I once had at a
hole in the wall diner in Hawaii, but this was even better. The
sorbet was very good. Rating: excellent.

Strawberry Sorbet and Rice
Pancake with Red Bean Sauce. Compliments of the chef, this was
different, but suffered in comparison to the other dishes I had
here. Rating: good.

Caramel-Chocolate Cake (Kabocha
Mousse, Caramel Gelee, Roasted Pineapple). A small portion, but
wonderful. Super dense layer of caramel, and another dense layer
of chocolate. A few peanuts were on top, as well as some sort of
ice cream. A great dessert. Rating: excellent.

Overall, this was one of the better tasting
menus I had in Las Vegas. It's well worth the money.

A
Regular MealI started with a
Variation of Tartars: minced tuna, salmon, and yellowtail, each served
in a small taro taco. A little avocado puree was on the
side. I had mixed feelings about this dish. It was good;
there was nothing to really complain about. However, the taco
masked some of the flavor of the fish, without contributing a lot.

As an entree, I chose the Delice of Bento Box - basically, chef's
choice, varying nightly. It included:

tofu with salmon roe in fish broth

cold sliced duck breast

thin slices of scallop

minced shrimp and other ingredients, wrapped
in
shaved cucumber

minced tuna in a taro taco (like the appetizer)

some sort of seafood fritter

The selections were good but, like the
appetizer, somehow
unsatisfying. Not bad, but not memorable.

For dessert, I tried something a little different: chocolate
soup, sorbet, granite, and croutons. Served together (the
croutons put in at the last moment), it was an interesting combination
of flavors and textures. The chocolate soup was a warm liquid
with strong chocolate flavor. The sorbet was thick and
creamy. The croutons added crunch. Very good!

This was my least favorite of all my meals at Okada - not bad, but not
great. Granted, I had very high expectations, but I hope I simply
chose poorly.

SummaryI've eaten sushi for more than 30 years, and
have rarely found better sushi than that at Okada. Their tasting
menu is excellent, and based on a few samples I definitely want to try
their robatayaki again. Combine this with a winning atmosphere,
and it's a place that deserves to be popular.

The BillThe bill will vary tremendously
depending on the kind of food you eat, and how much you eat. A
light meal at the sushi bar may cost $35 - 50; a large meal, or one
involving luxury items, might cost over $100. The tasting menu
was about $100. Three course meals will run from $50 to
$100. All prices exclude drinks (which can add up if you buy
expensive sake), tax and tip.